| Troops shell Somali market, killing 11 - witnesses
MOGADISHU, Mar 29 (Reuters) At least 11 people were killed in Mogadishu today when troops at the Villa Somalia presidential palace returned fire against Islamist insurgents who attacked it with mortar bombs, witnesses said.
President Abdullahi Yusuf was there at the time, an aide told Reuters, but no one in the hilltop compound was hurt.
Residents said Ethiopian soldiers guarding Yusuf then launched shells at the city's Bakara Market, killing a number of people.
''Seven people including a woman died in the money changers' area when more than eight mortar bombs struck several parts of Bakara,'' shopkeeper Muse Ahmed told Reuters by telephone.
''Four people were killed inside the market's food section,'' said another market trader.
The market is notorious for its open-air arms bazaar, and has been the site of frequent skirmishes between guerrilla fighters and government troops backed by Ethiopian forces.
Nigeria: Miscreants Invade Umuahia, Extort Money From Motorists
Miscreants, are fast taking over major bus-stops in Umuahia, the Abia state capital, where they extort money from commercial motorists who ply the various routes in the state. It is common to see these fierce-looking young men hang around all the major bus-stops only to come out and demand for money from the driver or conductor of any commercial bus that stops to load at the bus-stops. .
(AFX UK Focus) 2008-03-26 08:52 GMT: Taiwan central bank drains 60.20 bln twd via 2.04/2.13/2.23 pct NCDs
TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - The central bank said it drained a combined 60.20 bln twd from the money market via offers of negotiable certificates of deposit, including 51.40 bln twd via 30-day NCDs at a fixed rate of 2.04 pct. The bank also drained 7.80 bln twd via an offer of 91-day NCDs at 2.13 pct and 1.0 bln twd via 182-day NCDs at 2.23 pct, it said. At 4.00 pm, the average overnight interbank rate was quoted at 2.090 pct, compared with the previous close of 2.082 pct, dealers said. (1 usd = 30.0 twd) philip.wang@afxasia.com - xfnpw/xfnrc COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Thomson Financial News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Financial News.
Housing Market vs. Instant Loans
Get cash now, pay in advance, turn your check into cash. You've seen them all before, or maybe even gotten a loan. Lately, with the housing market declining, places like these are getting a bad name. "They're after the credit card companies, they're after the banks they're after anyone in the financial industry. We tend to be an easier target than the banks because we're not as big as the banks and haven't been around as long," says Jabo Covert Vice President of Government Affairs for Check Into Cash. Instant loans are a growing business. In fact, one of the largest in the industry, Check Into Cash, started right here in Tennessee. But credit counselor Dan Stevens says the main problem with instant loan companies is the high interest rate. "Under their normal income they can't afford their house payment.
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